Common painkillers — even those sold over the counter — could raise your heart attack risk to as much as 50 percent, according to a new study that looked at nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Researchers found that the increased risk occurred regardless of duration or dosage.

This group of drugs includes ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), diclofenac (Voltaren, Cataflam, Cambia, Zorvolex), celecoxib (Celebrex), and naproxen (Aleve, Anaprox), which are available over the counter or by prescription.

The primary indication is to relieve pain or fever, headaches, back pain, menstrual cramps, and other causes.

The level of risk, which ranged from 20 percent to 50 percent, increased as early as one week into the use of any drug in this category, and the risk associated with taking higher doses was greatest within the first month.

The study, published in BMJ, found that taking any dosage of these drugs for one week or longer was linked to an increased risk of a heart attack, but that risk appeared to gradually decline when these painkillers were discontinued.